So I was playing some games today (shock), when I started to think of great gaming innovations. Then I remembered that with all my other projects going on I forgot to make a blog post on RFG. So, here you go community:

10: Button Combos

[img width=400 height=300]http://xboxmedia.gamespy.com/xbox/image/article/533/533599/street-fighter-anniversary-collection-20040726054250599.jpg[/img]

I know what you are thinking. Button Combos!?! WTF? Alright, so it might not have been the first thing you would have thought of, but think about it for a second. Where would we be right now if you could not memorize a few combos and go kill your friend at Street Fighter? I will tell you where. We would be in a chaos of button smashers. If I wanted that, I would go play Smash Bros. (You ever wonder why it is called "Smash Bros?" There you go!)

9: Lvl Up!

Good job killing that slime there dude, you just reached Lvl 3. Have you ever set down and thought about how much this simple idea changed the gaming world? If not, then go play through Jade Empire (or any BioWare game for that matter). Lvling up is not only addictive, but lets you control the outcome of your wizard or knight or whatever.  Besides, without it I could not cast Fira.

8: Achievements

You know who you are. You are the one who played Gears for hours just so you can get that achievement. You sir have a problem, as do the rest of us who play XBL. People will play games they don't even like just to get a few more achievements on their Gamer Tag. It's like crack, McDonalds and WoW all in one. Run, coward!!!!!!!!

7: Unlockables

So how many of you that played Pitfall! on the 2600 thought that you would be unlocking characters in Ultimate Fighters Megamix? Without unlockables, the fighter fans out there would be stuck playing Ivy over and over and over (which is not a bad thing).

6: Percentage

When I first got 100% on Crash Bandicoot 2, I almost died. Then I found out there was more to get. Getting 100% in games keeps people playing and gives them something to brag about to their friends. Now go and get over 200% on Castlevania.

5: Character Creation

[img width=400 height=300]http://shoinan.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/wow-guide-3.jpg[/img]

People love to customize. If you can create someone in a game that looks like you, or just looks cool in your mind, then the game has just won over your heart to the story. When we have something we create, we look out for it. We want it to be the best, and that is what people like with character creation.

4: Dialog Tree

[img width=500 height=297]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3009/2607620905_b6d9fa4b22.jpg?v=0[/img]

This is one of my favorite things that people can put into the games that they make. It makes you feel like you are the character. The only games that I have seen this done to really well are games like Mass Effect, Jade Empire, and KOTOR (all from BioWare I might add. Are you getting sick of the love for them yet? Because I can move on to Capcom or Valve).

3: Cheats

We have all cheated on games in one point of our lives. If you have put in a code or read some info to get you ahead in a game, then you are a cheater. Now, while I don't like to cheat in games on my first play through (It takes the fun right out of it), I do like game
cheats and think they need to be on this list.

2: Online

[img width=400 height=298]http://rcc.bgsu.edu/wiki/images/b/b7/8_xbox_live_menu.jpg[/img]


We humans spend most of our time online now days. We read, learn to cook, mail, shop, etc. So why not game? Why not show off your skills on GH? Or beat someone down with a sword in Halo? Online has brought gamers from around the world to join up or smack talk their way to the top.

1: Saving

Remember the good old days? When you could not save your progress on Mario? Had to
enter a password on Mega Man? While those were the good old days, passwords and
no save options were not. Saving has made gaming amazing. Now you can save right
where you left off, and it makes games like Morrowind possible.

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